Housing for the Sum of Us
News / This year鈥檚 Ideas + Action symposium explored the topic of housing policy beyond 鈥渮ero sum鈥 thinking , where some prosper at the expense of others. Keynote speaker Heather McGhee led an investigation into common conceptions of zero sum thinking, such as 鈥減olicies that support renters harm homeowners鈥 and 鈥渁ffordable housing leads to declining property values.鈥 Our daylong conversation explored the role that racism plays in these debates and the shifts needed to create something different.
Oakland Adopts 黑料传送门Recommendations in Its General Plan Update
News / Oakland has launched what it describes as a 鈥渙nce-in-a generation鈥 opportunity to create a visionary blueprint for the city鈥檚 future. 黑料传送门sprang to action when the city released its inaugural draft Environmental Justice Element and its draft Safety Element update as part of the city鈥檚 2045 General Plan Update. Our efforts paid off: the city council adopted several of our recommendations, all of which will help economically vulnerable Oaklanders, in particular.
Housing the Middle
Research A new 黑料传送门research paper digs into the housing market鈥檚 failure to meet the needs of middle-income households. Using a national survey and three case studies of middle-income housing production programs, the paper reveals that the need for middle-income housing is growing, and it's felt nationwide 鈥 not just in expensive coastal cities. California can look to innovative programs across the country as models for how to address the state鈥檚 housing challenges
Governor Newsom Signs SPUR-Sponsored Bills Into Law
News / The close of the 2023 state legislative year brought a number of big wins for SPUR. Governor Newsom signed nine pieces of SPUR-sponsored legislation that will, among other things, prevent the misuse of environmental review processes to stop or delay new housing, pilot speed safety cameras on streets with high crash rates, and speed up timelines for connecting all-electric buildings and EV charging stations to the power grid.
A Roadmap for Regional Good Food Purchasing
Research The San Francisco Bay Area Local Food Purchasing Collaborative, a partnership between 12 Bay Area public institutions, is combining its purchasing power to procure food that is local, sustainable, fair, humane, and healthy. 黑料传送门worked with the collaborative to prepare a roadmap and toolkit of resources to assist policy makers and advocates interested in approaching values-based procurement as a region.
From Workspace to Homebase
Research Converting empty offices into apartments could both reanimate downtown San Francisco and provide housing for more people in an area rich in transit, jobs, culture, recreation, and entertainment. In a first-of-its-kind study, 黑料传送门and ULI San Francisco, in partnership with Gensler and HR&A Advisors, explored the physical suitability of converting office buildings to housing and tested the financial feasibility of such projects. Our report lays out six policy imperatives for realizing office-to-housing conversions on a large scale.
The Benefits of Making Roads Work for Transit: Q&A with Jonathon Kass
News / Bus riders and other road transit users often don鈥檛 get a fair shake when it comes to transportation investments. Making Roads Work for Transit, a recent 黑料传送门report, describes the multiple challenges a typical Bay Area bus trip can entail and argues that continuing to privilege convenience for cars is jeopardizing equity and climate goals 鈥 as well as transit鈥檚 fiscal sustainability. It lays out a roadmap to greenlight transit-friendly roadway design and operations.
Can San Jos茅鈥檚 Santa Clara Street Become a Place to Be and Belong?
News / Historically, Santa Clara Street was San Jos茅鈥檚 鈥渕ain street.鈥 Today, it is oriented toward vehicle traffic, which can make it an unpleasant, even dangerous, place. The city and its community partners are embarking on a re-envisioning of Santa Clara Street focused on people, placemaking, and programming. Could proposals to 鈥渞e-enchant鈥 the world鈥檚 most famous grand boulevard, the Champs-脡lys茅es, be a model for this planning effort?
Making Roads Work for Transit
黑料传送门Report Currently, transit delays and unreliability can make riding the bus a nonstarter for those who have other options for getting around. Growing segregation of the transit system is inequitable, unsustainable, and inefficient. Giving transit vehicles priority on Bay Area roads can deliver the speed and reliability improvements needed to get more people on buses and out of cars. 黑料传送门offers 16 recommendations for aligning the interests of transit agencies and local jurisdictions to greenlight these improvements.
Who Will Be Helped and Harmed by a Proposed Toll Increase for Bay Area Bridges?
News / The California legislature is considering a temporary toll increase on seven bridges in the Bay Area to avoid severe transit service cuts. The proposed increase has understandably sparked concern about equity. SPUR's deep dive found that most bridge drivers have higher incomes than most transit riders. Because protections can be implemented for people with low incomes who must drive, there鈥檚 no reason to let transit collapse. That outcome that would be the least equitable of all.
Revenue Allocations from Soda Taxes in Oakland and San Francisco Continue to Diverge from Advisory Committees鈥 Recommendations
News / Each year 黑料传送门analyzes how Oakland and San Francisco allocate the revenues from their respective soda taxes, which are intended to be spent on improving the health of populations disproportionately impacted by soda consumption and diet-related disease. Five years in, much of the soda tax revenues are consistently funneled to uses that depart from advisory committees鈥 recommendations.
Multifamily Seismic Retrofit Program Secures $15 Million from State, But More Investment Is Needed
News / California will soon provide financial assistance for seismic retrofitting to owners of some multifamily apartment buildings as part of the Multifamily Seismic Retrofit Program, the state鈥檚 first program to protect low- to moderate-income renters in vulnerable buildings. Additional funding will be needed to effectively address seismic risk, protect public safety, preserve housing, and support community resilience in the aftermath of severe earthquakes.
The Role of Public-Private Partnerships in Downtown Detroit鈥檚 Revitalization
News / Detroit鈥檚 downtown renaissance offers lessons for struggling Bay Area鈥檚 cities: the health of cities is intrinsically tied to the prosperity of the state, and the revitalization of downtowns is critical to the recovery of neighborhoods. Thanks to community advocacy, Detroit鈥檚 city leaders and philanthropic organizations are now funding new initiatives to ensure that future revitalization efforts promote affordable housing and homeownership, workforce development, and entrepreneurship.
Delivering on Transit-Oriented Communities in San Jos茅: Local Implications of a Regional Policy
News / How will the Bay Area鈥檚 new Transit-Oriented Communities Policy affect existing city plans, including plans not compliant with all of the policy鈥檚 requirements? 黑料传送门explored what this regional policy means for a proposed BART station and a light-rail corridor in San Jos茅, including how housing and transit advocates think they can use it to advance their goals and how the city has begun to consider its implications for ongoing planning efforts.
Placemaking with Al Fresco Spaces: Q&A With SPUR鈥檚 Erika Pinto
News / A new 黑料传送门report, Making Al Fresco Work, notes that the initiative has begun to transform San Jos茅鈥檚 urban environment in ways that are consistent with the city鈥檚 larger goals of creating vibrant commercial corridors and walkable neighborhoods. We talked with Erika Pinto, SPUR鈥檚 San Jos茅 planning policy manager, about proposed strategies for improving on San Jose鈥檚 current outdoor dining review processes and about the role of al fresco spaces in transforming the city鈥檚 public realm.
Unpacking the State鈥檚 Transit Budget: A Huge Victory, But an Unfinished Fight
News / The state鈥檚 budget brought a big win for transit, but also an unfinished fight: the Bay Area still faces a sizable gap in operating funds over the next five years just to maintain existing transit service levels. What does the state鈥檚 budget include for transit, and what more must be done to transition transit to a sustainable business model?
How Detroit鈥檚 Food Entrepreneurs Are Invigorating Commercial Corridors and Neighborhoods
News / Many Bay Area cities are seeing a significant uptick in commercial vacancies 鈥 a problem Detroit has been working to address for years. How has the Motor City responded, and what can we learn from its efforts? Here鈥檚 how four Detroit organizations have seized on the city鈥檚 culture of entrepreneurship to help launch and support food-related businesses that are repopulating deserted storefronts and enlivening neighborhoods that have received little investment.
Making Detroit Home: Addressing the Challenges of Housing Stability and Habitability
News / In the wake of the Great Recession, Detroit went bankrupt and home foreclosures skyrocketed. Philanthropic dollars have come to the rescue, but the city must now reckon with the factors that keep many Detroiters from thriving: a high property tax rate and punitive tax foreclosure system, lack of access to equitable mortgage lending, and institutional racism.
Making Al Fresco Work
黑料传送门Report During the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of San Jos茅鈥檚 outdoor dining initiative extended a critical lifeline to businesses and their patrons. The program continues to be a popular way to advance economic recovery and enliven streets. 黑料传送门recommends four strategies for improving upon the Al Fresco Initiative and expanding it to businesses and neighborhoods citywide.
Legislature and Governor Approve Extension of California Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot Program
News / The California legislature and Governor Newsom have reinvested in the California Fruit and Vegetable EBT Pilot program, which provides low-income households with up to $60 each month in additional food assistance when they buy fresh fruits and vegetables with their electronic benefits transfer (EBT) cards. Funding in the amount of $9.4 million in the state budget approved last month ensures that the program won鈥檛 die on the vine, a victory given the state鈥檚 significant budget deficit.